Mornings always pass in a hurry, however, some people have a full morning, while others have a day that starts at noon.

Elder finished washing up in the bathroom and walked out the door stretching out.

As soon as he walked down the stairs, he saw Dumas, dressed in dust, walking back from outside with a few garlic heads in his hands and smiling.

Elder slapped his mouth twice and asked, "Why do you French people always like to eat garlic?" What are you trying to do? Fresh breath? ”

When Dumas heard this, he retorted mercilessly: "It is better to like garlic than to like a girl from London, and for the first time since I arrived here, I have felt that the cows of France are so beautiful." ”

After that, Dumas walked up to Darwin, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room reading a book, and asked, "Charles, you can tell me more about that 'epileptic syncope' in a moment, I was a little fascinated by what I heard last night." I have to admit that I used to be prejudiced against the British, and it wasn't until I met her that I realized that there was something in the English that I could communicate with. ”

Darwin raised his finger and scratched the side of his face: "Are you complimenting me?" ”

Alexandre Dumas shook his head as he pointed to Eld, who was standing on the stairs, and said, "No, I'm belittling the fool standing over there. Of course, I have to admit frankly that his erotic head is not completely useless, and if he is put in the right environment, he can at least provide a little nautical knowledge. ”

Elder shrugged his shoulders when he heard this, and shouted at Alexandre Dumas with half mockery: "I hope the combat power of the French Navy can be as hard as your mouth." ”

Alexandre Dumas shot back: "You don't have to worry about it, you have to be glad that Britain is an island, or you would have become a second-class citizen of France by now." ”

"Really?" Elder retorted unconvinced: "I think that even the combat effectiveness of the Royal Navy after going ashore can not lose to the French artillery." ”

"Oh! Thank God! Dumas folded his hands together and begged God for forgiveness: "I beg you, don't say that." In the French context, the meaning of the phrase 'British soldiers ashore' is not something that can be stated in public. ”

Elder scratched his head in confusion and said, "Why?" ”

Alexandre Dumas glanced at him, "Have you forgotten what color the uniforms of the British soldiers were?" In France, the 'English soldier ashore' is usually used by an elegant French lady to express her illness. ”

As soon as Dumas finished speaking, Arthur, who was reading the newspaper on the side, couldn't help but glance at the Red Devil who was sitting on the side and humming a little song leisurely.

Agareth keenly caught his gaze, the Red Devil was stunned for a moment, he looked down at his dark red complexion, and then angrily pointed at Arthur and shouted, "Arthur! I warn you, don't think I don't know what you're thinking! ”

Arthur's eyes drifted slightly, and fell back to Alexandre Dumas.

He put the newspaper aside and asked, "So Alexander, do you have a clue?" I'm going to General Codrington's party next Sunday, and you're going to have to write me anything you say for a week. ”

Alexandre Dumas tossed the garlic he was holding on the coffee table, then shoved his body into the sofa in the living room.

"What are you anxious about? It's going to be a pretty long story, I'll have to think it up, and I'll have to give me at least half a year before I can deliver the finished product to you. ”

Arthur picked up the teacup and said, "You are in such a hurry to use the money, can you afford to wait for half a year?" Let me give you a suggestion, if your opening is a hit at General Codrington's party, I may consider putting you in touch with a newspaper with a good circulation, and you deliver several chapters a week for serialization. In this case, if the reader's response is not good, you can also stop the loss in time and consider starting over with another idea. ”

Dumas was stunned for a long time when he heard this, and then patted his thigh and stood up excitedly: "How did you come up with this idea?" Get money once when serialized, and get money again when you finish the manuscript! What a genius idea! Or how else do you British do business? ”

Arthur nodded slightly: "By the way, how did you think about that advice I gave you?" Let's just change the title of the book, instead of "The Revenge of Edmund Dantès", it is better to call it "The Count of Monte Cristo", readers don't care about Edmund Dantès, they prefer the story of the Count to a little person they don't know.

I know you may have chosen it as a reference to Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, but you may not know that Robinson Crusoe is just an abbreviation of the title. When Defoe became famous, even such a modest title could be sold, so publishers didn't bother to print its original name on the cover. ”

"Robinson Crusoe is an abbreviation?" Alexandre Dumas touched his curly head: "And what is its full name?" ”

Arthur pouted, and he stood up and pulled an old book with a yellowed cover from the bookshelf in the living room and threw it on the coffee table.

I heard a bang, and a puff of dust kicked up on the coffee table.

Alexandre Dumas leaned his face up, and he finally understood the full title of the first edition of Robinson Crusoe, printed in 1719, "The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe the Yorkie: for twenty-eight years, he lived alone on a deserted island off the coast of the Americas, near the mouth of the Orunok River, and was shipwrecked as the sole survivor of the shipwreck, and how he was miraculously saved by pirates."

This long list of appalling sentences almost fills the entire cover, and the uninformed reader will probably think that this is the publisher's attempt to save paper, so let the story start on the cover.

When Dumas saw this, he finally stopped insisting, he wiped the sweat from his head, and changed his words: "Okay, then I'll listen to you." ”

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly heard a sound of shaking the doorbell from outside the door—Ding Ding Ding.

Elder yawned and opened the door, revealing an old gentleman in a tuxedo.

The old gentleman smiled and took off his hat in greeting, and then asked, "Is Mr. Arthur Hastings at home?" ”

"Who are you?"

"I am the steward of the Rothschilds, and our young master, Lionel Rothschild, has sent me to deliver a hunting invitation to Mr. Hastings. If he is not there, I beg you to pass this letter to him, and inform Lord Hastings that Master Lionel will meet him near the Marble Arch at eight o'clock next Sunday morning. ”

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but stand up and walk to the door, and at a glance he saw that the other party's face was somewhat familiar, as if it was the servant who followed Lionel in the real estate trading hall that day.

He smiled and stretched out his hand to invite the other party in: "If you're not busy, let's have a cup of tea first." ”

The old butler smiled and nodded to accept Arthur's invitation, and he stepped into the living room, first glanced at Alexandre Dumas who was leaning on the sofa with a big grin, and then observed Darwin, who was meditating on a book of naturalist notes, and had a preliminary judgment in his mind about the identities of several people.

After a few simple greetings, Arthur took out a white porcelain teacup directly from the cupboard and filled the old butler with tea.

When the old butler saw this, he could not help but tactfully admonish, "Mr. Hastings, as far as I can see, it would be better for you to have a servant who can provide simple housekeeping, for the house has six rooms, four of which you and your friends have dwelt in, and the other two are just as good as a coachman and a housemaid." If you find it difficult to hire a servant yourself, we can also 'recruit' it for you.

The social circle around Hyde Park isn't too low, and if guests come to your home and you, the host, are too busy to entertain them, it's likely to lower your social reputation. ”

When Arthur heard this, of course he understood what the other party meant, and he nodded with a smile.

"Thank you very much for your advice, and I will seriously consider it if I have the opportunity in the future. It's just that I really don't have time to be distracted by anything else at the moment, you should know that Scotland Yard has been handling several big cases recently, and I have to monitor public opinion at all times, and I am not at home most of the time, so it is indeed rare to have free time like today.

In this way, I haven't had a chance to explore the social field yet, for example, you just said that Lionel wants to invite me to hunt outside the city next Sunday. I've always wanted to go to the forest with him to hunt rabbits and chat, but I'm sorry that I've already made arrangements for next Sunday. ”

"You already have an appointment for next Sunday?"

The old butler was slightly startled at first, but after a moment, not only was he not disappointed and angry, but he looked up at Arthur again in his heart.

He smiled and asked, "It's rude to ask that, but I wonder what you're planning to do next Sunday?" If you're on a date or with friends, I happen to know a few good restaurants that I might recommend to you. ”

Arthur didn't intend to hide anything from him, on the contrary, he even wanted to ask something out of the mouth of the old Rothschild butler.

Because he really didn't know what to expect about the gathering that General Codrington would host next Sunday.

He had never seen any high-class gatherings before, and he didn't know what to prepare.

If the old butler is willing to give a little guidance, for Arthur, of course, it is very good.

He asked, "Do you know General Codrington of the Channel Fleet?" He was going back to London next week for a vacation, so Mrs. Codrington was planning to have a party at home, and I happened to receive an invitation. ”

"Ah...... Mrs. Codrington ...... "When the old butler heard this, he immediately understood what was going on: "I probably know why General Codrington invited you." Would he like you to talk to them about the new field of electromagnetism that has come in at the party? ”

Arthur smiled and took a sip of his tea, and he quipped, "Did someone in Rothschild also receive an invitation?" Why do you know so much? ”

The old butler smiled: "No, no, you may have been busy with official business before, so you don't know much about the social circle in London. London's ladies were divided into many groups, and Mrs. Codrington was the leader of one of the well-known groups.

It has to be said that the ladies of that group generally have quite interesting and maverick personalities, and it is not at all surprising that they invite such a budding scientist as you. After all, they've been doing this kind of thing since the fifties and sixties of the last century. ”

When Arthur heard this, he was also a little curious: "So, what kind of group did Mrs. Codrington belong to?" ”

The old butler took a sip of his tea, and he knew that it would take a lot of effort to explain the group to Arthur.

He asked.

"Do you know the 'Blue Sox Society' founded by Madame Montagu? Or call it a 'female pedant'. I think you may have heard the motto given to the society by Madame Montagu, the founder of the Blue Sox Society, that you are not allowed to play cards in my salon, and that you are not allowed to talk about whose daughter cannot find her in-laws, whose servants have eloped, and I don't want to pass the time in boredom, but we are going to talk about something informative.

If you want them to make a good first impression of you, I recommend that you wear a pair of blue socks that you use every day on the day of the party, because the ladies of that community are like the name of the group - Blue Sox Club. Neither the white silk stockings favored by the upper class, nor the noble and elegant black silk stockings, the ladies of that society were quite rebellious. ”

(End of chapter)